Schoolmaster to Christ
DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER 7
Schoolmaster to Christ
DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER 7
Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 7 (KJV)
"When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee . . . seven nations greater and mightier than thou. And when the Lord thy God shall delivered them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them."
In reading the record of God's dealings with nations in connection with His people Israel, we are reminded of the opening words of Psalm 101, "I will sing of mercy and of judgement." We see the display of mercy to His people, in pursuance of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and we also see the execution of judgment on nations, in consequence of their evil ways. In the former, we see God's sovereignty; in the latter, His justice; in both, Jehovah's glory shines out. All the ways of God, whether in mercy or in judgment speak His praise and forever calls forth the homage of His people.
"Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of nations.1 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou art holy; for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for Thy judgements are made manifest" (Rev. 15:3, 4).
This is the true spirit in which to contemplate the ways of God in government. Rather than being influenced by an enlightened judgment, some allow themselves to be influenced by a morbid feeling and false sentimentality. Regarding the Canaanites, they find difficulty with the directions given to Israel in the opening of Deuteronomy 7. To them, it seems inconsistent with a benevolent Being to command His People to smite their fellow-creatures, show them no mercy. They cannot understand how a merciful God could commission His people to slay women and children with the sword.
No doubt, such persons cannot adopt the language of Revelation 15:3, 4. They are not prepared to say, "Just and true are thy ways, thou King of nations." They cannot justify God in all His ways; instead, they sit in judgment on Him, presuming to measure the actions of God's government by the shallow standards of human thought – scanning the infinite by the finite. In short, they measure God by themselves.
This is a fatal mistake. We are not competent to form a judgment on the ways of God, and hence it is the height of presumption for ignorant, short-sighted mortals to attempt to do so. In the seventh chapter of Luke we read that "Wisdom is justified of all her children." Let us remember this and hush sinful reasoning. "Let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged."
The following passage will hopefully help anyone having trouble or difficulty with this subject: "O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever . . . To him that smote Egypt in their first-born; for his mercy endureth for ever; and brought out Israel from among them; for his mercy endureth for ever; with a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm; for his mercy endureth for ever. To him which divided the Red Sea into parts; for his mercy endureth for ever. And made Israel to pass through the midst of it; for his mercy endureth for; but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea; for his mercy endureth for ever. To him which smote great kings; for his mercy endureth for ever; and slew famous kings; for his mercy endureth for ever; Sihon, king of the Amorites; for his mercy endureth ever; and Og, the king of Bashan; for his mercy for ever. And gave their land for an heritage; for his mercy endureth for ever; even an unto Israel his servant; for his mercy for ever" (Ps. 136).
Here we see that the smiting of Egypt's first-born and the deliverance of Israel; the passage through the Red Sea and the destruction of Pharaoh's host; the slaughter of the Canaanites and giving their lands to Israel – all illustrated the everlasting mercy of Jehovah.2 Thus it was; thus it is; and thus it shall be. Let us remember this and fling to the winds all our silly reasoning and ignorant arguments. It is our privilege to justify God in all His ways, to bow our heads in holy worship, in view of His unsearchable judgments, resting in the calm assurance that all God's ways are right. We do not understand them all; this would be impossible. The finite cannot grasp the infinite. This is where so many go wrong. They reason on the actions of God's government, not considering that those actions lie as far beyond the range of human reason as the Creator is beyond the creature. What human mind can unravel the profound mysteries of God's providence? Can we account for a city full of men, women, and children, in one hour plunged beneath a tide of burning lava? No; and yet this is but one of thousands of facts recorded on the pages of human history, all lying far beyond the grasp of the most gigantic intellect. Can we account for everything? Can we tell why God permits it? Are we called on to do so? Is it not plain that it is no part of our business to be concerned about such questions? And if, in our ignorance and folly, we set about reasoning and speculating on the inscrutable mysteries of God's government, what can we expect but bewilderment, if not infidelity?
The foregoing line of thought will hopefully help us understand the opening lines of Deuteronomy 7. The Canaanites were to receive no mercy at the hands of Israel. Their iniquities had reached the culminating point, and nothing remained but the stern execution of God's judgment.
"Thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them; neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods, so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire."
Such were the clear and explicit instructions given by Jehovah to His people. No mercy for the Canaanites, no covenant with them, no union, no fellowship of any kind; unsparing judgment, intense separation.
We know how soon and how completely Israel failed to carry out these instructions. Hardly had they planted their foot on the land of Canaan, did they make a covenant with the Gibeonites. In the book of Joshua, we learn that even he fell into the snare. The tattered garments and moldy bread of those wily people beguiled the princes of the congregation, and caused them to act in direct opposition to the plain commandment of God. Had they been governed by the authority of the Word, they would have been preserved from the grave error of making a league with people who should have been utterly destroyed. They judged by the sight of their eyes, and reaped the consequences.3
Implicit obedience is the grand moral safeguard against the wiles of the enemy. No doubt the story of the Gibeonites was plausible, and their whole appearance gave a show of truth to their statements; but none of these things should have had the slightest moral weight with Joshua and the princes. If they had only remembered the Word of the Lord; but in this they failed. There reasoning was based on what they saw, instead of obeying what they had heard. Reason is no guide for the people of God; we must be guided and governed absolutely and completely by the Word of God.
This is a privilege of the highest order, and it lies within the reach of the simplest and most unlettered child of God. The Father's Word, the Father's voice, the Father's eye, can guide the youngest, feeblest child in His family. All we need is a lowly and obedient heart. It does not demand great intellectual power or cleverness; if it did, what would become of the vast majority of Christians? If it were only the educated, the deep-thinking, and the far-seeing that were capable of meeting the wiles of the adversary, then most of us might give up in despair.
But thanks be to God, it is not so; indeed, the contrary is true. Looking through the history of the people of God in all ages, we find that if human wisdom, human learning, human cleverness is not kept in their right place, it becomes a snare, rendering the possessors more efficient tools in the enemy's hand. By whom have most, if not all the heresies from age to age been introduced? Not by the simple; not by the unlearned, but by the educated and intellectual. Who was it that made a covenant with the Gibeonites4 – the common people? No, it was the princes of the congregation. No doubt, all were involved in the mischief; but the princes led the way. The heads and leaders of the assembly fell into the snare of the devil through neglect of the plain Word of God.
"Thou shalt make no covenant with them." Could anything be plainer than this? Could tattered garments, old shoes and moldy bread alter the meaning of God's command, or do away with the urgent necessity for strict obedience on the part of the congregation? No. Nothing can ever justify a warrant for lowering the standard of obedience to the Word of God. If there are difficulties in the way, if perplexing circumstances come before us, if things crop up for which we are not prepared and for which we are unable to form a judgment, what are we to do? Reason; jump to conclusions; act on our own or on human judgments? No. We are to patiently, humbly, and believingly wait on God. He will certainly counsel and guide. "The meek will he guide in judgment; and the meek will he teach his way." Had Joshua and the princes acted thus, they would have never made a league with the Gibeonites; and if we act thus, we will be delivered from every evil work and preserved unto the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
In Deuteronomy 7:6, Moses sets before the people the moral ground of the line of action that they were to adopt in reference to the Canaanites – the rigid separation and unsparing judgment. "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God; the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth."
The principle laid down here is of weighty character. Why were the people to maintain such complete separation from the Canaanites? Why were they to firmly refuse to make any covenant or form any matrimonial alliance with them? Why were they to demolish their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves? The answer is simply – they were a holy people. And who had constituted them a holy people? Jehovah. He had chosen them and set His love on them. He had redeemed them and separated them to Himself. Hence, it was His province and prerogative to prescribe what they were to be and how they were to act – "Be ye holy, for I am holy."
It was not on the principle of "Stand by thyself, I am holier than thou." This is manifest from what follows. "The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people; but because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt" (vv. 7, 8).
These are healthful, needful, and seasonable words for Israel. They were to remember that they owed all their dignity, all their privileges, all their blessings, not to anything in themselves, their own goodness or their own greatness, but simply to the fact that Jehovah identified Himself with them, in virtue of His covenant with their fathers – "a covenant ordered in all things and sure." While furnishing a divine antidote against self-complacency and self-confidence, this formed the solid basis of their happiness and moral security. All rested on the eternal stability of the grace of God – therefore human boasting was excluded. "My soul shall make her boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear thereof and be glad."
It is the purpose of God that "no flesh shall glory in his presence." All human pretension must be set aside. He will hide pride from man. Israel had to be taught to remember their origin and true condition; "bondmen in Egypt" and "fewest of all people" – no room for pride or boasting. They were in no wise better than the nations around them. Therefore, if called to account for their high elevation and moral greatness, they could simply trace it all to the free love of God; to His faithfulness to His oath. "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake" (Ps. 115:1).
"Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations; and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: He will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face" (vv. 9, 10).
Two weighty facts are here set forth: one (v. 9) is full of rich consolation and comfort to every true lover of God, the other (v. 10) fraught with deep solemnity to every hater of God. All who really love God and His commandments may count on His infallible faithfulness and tender mercy, at all times and under all circumstances. "All things work together for good them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." If, through infinite grace, we have the love of God in our hearts and His fear before our eyes, we may move on with courage and joyful confidence, assured that all will be well.
"Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight."
This is an eternal truth – a truth for Israel, a truth for the church. Dispensations make no difference regarding this. Whether we study Deuteronomy 7 or 1 John 3, we learn the same practical truth; God delights in those who fear Him, love Him, and keep His commandments.
Is the legal element in any of this? No. Not a tinge. Love and legality have nothing in common; they are as far removed from each other as the poles. "This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous." The spirit and genius, the ground and character of our obedience prove the reverse of legality. Those who think that strongly emphasizing the importance of and urging obedience to God is nothing short of teaching legality are sadly mistaken. True, if one teaches that by obedience we earn the high position and relationship as children of God, then the charge of legality would be justified. But to bestow such an epithet on Christian obedience is truly a serious moral mistake.
In Matthew 5 we read, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour; and hate thine enemy; but I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the sons of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust . . . Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (vv. 43-48).
In the judgment of some, this passage seems to teach that a certain line of action can attain the relationship of children, but does it? Or is it a question of moral conformity or suitability to the character and ways of our Father? In every-day life we sometimes hear the saying, "If you act in such a way, you will not be your father's son." It is as though our Lord had said, "If you want to be the sons of your heavenly Father, you must act in grace to all; for that is what He is doing."
In 2 Corinthians 6 we read, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean; and I will receive you; and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."
Here it is not a question of the secret relationship of children formed by a divine operation, but the public acknowledgment of the position of sons as the result of our separation from evil.5
It is important for us to understand the practical value and seize the importance of this distinction. We do not become children by separation from the world, "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."
"As many as received him, to them gave he power to become children of God, to them that believe on his name; which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (Gal. 3:26; John 1:12, 13).
"Of his own will begat he us by the word of truth" (James 1:18). We become children by new birth – a divine operation, from first to last. What did we have to do with our natural birth? Someone brings us out of our mother’s womb, but did we do it? The first verses of Romans 6 certainly teach that through burial in water; through baptism, we are raised to walk in newness of life – born again. But, does anyone actually believe that when someone lays us down into the water and then pulls us up, we have done it ourselves? In other words, what have we to do with our spiritual birth? Clearly nothing.
However, we must never forget that God can only identify Himself with, and publicly acknowledge those who seek to walk in a way worthy of Him – a way befitting the sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty. If our ways are unlike Him, if we are mixed up with wrong things, if we are unequally yoked together with unbelievers, how can we expect God to own us as His sons? In Hebrews 11 we read of those who "confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth," and who "declared plainly that they sought a country;" and of them we are told, "God was not ashamed to be called their God." He could publicly identify Himself with them and acknowledge them. He could own them as His.
Let us seriously apply our hearts to the consideration of this practical question – seriously and honestly looking to our ways. In truthfulness and uprightness of heart, let us inquire whether we are in any way "unequally yoked together with unbelievers." If so, let us give earnest heed to the words, "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing." It may be that carrying out this holy commandment will expose us to the charge of bigotry, narrowness and intolerance; it may reveal the aspect of pharisaic pride and self-complacency. We may be told not to judge, or set ourselves up to be holier or better than other people.
To this line of reasoning we have one simple, conclusive answer: God's plain command. He tells us to be separate, to come out, to touch not the unclean. We are to do this so that God can receive us and acknowledge us as His sons and daughters. This should be sufficient. Let people think or say what they will, let them call us what they please; sooner or later God will settle the matter with them. To be received and owned of God, then we must recognize our duty – separate from unbelievers. If believers mix with unbelievers, then how are they to be known or distinguished as the sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty?
Perhaps one may ask, "How are we to know who are unbelievers? So many in our age profess to be Christians; so many religious organizations claim they belong to Christ. How are we to judge? It was plain enough in the early days of Christianity, when the apostle wrote his epistle to the assembly at Corinth. Then the line of demarcation was as clear as a sunbeam; there were only three distinct classes: The Jew, the Gentile, and the Lord's church. But now it is different; and therefore 2 Corinthians 6 cannot apply to us. It applied when the church was in its infancy, having just emerged from Judaism on one hand, and heathenism on the other. However, applying such a principle at this advanced stage of the church's history is out of the question."
To those who might take this ground, we ask a plain question: is it true that the Lord's church has reached a stage in her history when the New Testament is no longer her guide and authority? Have we gone beyond the range of Holy Scripture? If so, what are we to do? Where are we to turn for guidance? If we admit that 2 Corinthians 6 does not apply to this age, what warrant do we have for appropriating to Christians any portion of the New Testament?
The fact is, as a whole Scripture is designed for the Lord's church and in particular, each member of that church. Hence, as long as the church is on earth, Holy Scripture will apply. To question this is to offer a flat contradiction to the Words of the inspired apostle when he tells us that the Holy Scriptures are able to make us "wise unto salvation"; "wise" right up to the day of glory; such is the force of the word "salvation" in 2 Timothy 3:15.
We neither need nor want new light – no fresh revelation; within the covers of our precious Bible we have "all truth." We neither need nor want science or philosophy to make us wise. True science and sound philosophy should leave untouched the testimony of Holy Scripture, because they cannot add to or contradict it. When we hear infidels talk about "progress," "development," "the light of science," we fall back in holy confidence and tranquility on those precious words, "all truth" and "wise unto salvation." It is impossible to get beyond these. What can be added to "all truth"? What more do we need or want than to be made wise right up to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ?
There is no change whatsoever in the relative position of the Lord's church and the world. It is as true today as it was at the first, when our Lord uttered the words that His people are not of the world, as He is not of the world (John 17). The world is still the world. It may have changed its dress in some places, but not its true character, spirit, and principles. Therefore it is as wrong today for Christians to be "unequally yoked together with unbelievers" as it was when Paul penned his epistle to the church at Corinth. This cannot be overlooked. We cannot set aside our responsibility in this matter. It will not suffice to say, "We must not judge." We are bound to judge. By refusing to judge, we refuse to obey; and refusing to obey is rebellion. God says, "Come out from among them and be separate". If we reply, "We cannot judge," where are we? The fact is we are commanded to judge. "Do ye not judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth" (1 Cor. 5:12, 13).
We will not pursue this line of reasoning further. God's people are called to come out and be separate – to not touch the unclean thing. God requires this of His people, so that He can accept us as His own. It should be the earnest desire of our hearts to respond to His will in this matter, regardless of the world's thoughts. Some of us are afraid of being thought narrow and bigoted; but how little that matters (or should matter) to a truly devoted heart. In other words, what does it really matter what men think of us? Human thoughts perish in an hour. When we are at last before the judgment-seat of Christ, when we stand in the full blaze of His glory, what will it matter whether men considered us narrow or broad, bigoted or liberal? It should not matter the weight of a feather to us now. Our one grand object should be to act and to carry ourselves so that we may be "acceptable" to Him Who has made us "accepted." May it be so with us, and with every member of the body of Christ.
Let us now turn to the truth presented in Deuteronomy 7:10. "He will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face." If the lovers of God are comforted in verse 9 and most blessedly encouraged to keep His commandments; the haters of God are called to hearken to a warning note in verse 10.
The time is coming when God will personally deal face to face with His enemies. How awful the thought that anyone would be a hater of God – a hater of that One Who is said to be and Who is "Light" and "Love;" the very fountain of goodness, the Author and Giver of every good and perfect gift, the Father of lights; the One Whose liberal hand supplies the need of every living thing, Who hears the cry of the young raven, and quenches the thirst of the wild donkey; the infinitely good, the only wise, the perfectly holy God, the Lord of all power and might; Creator of the ends of the earth and the One Who has power to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Surely there are very few who are disposed to think of themselves as absolute haters of God; but in this question there is no neutral ground – we are either for or against. In point of fact, people are not slow in showing their true colors. It often happens that the heart's deep-seated enmity to God comes out in hatred of His people, His Word, His worship, and/or His service. "The carnal mind is enmity against God." It is not subject to the law of God, neither can it be; and this enmity comes out in reference to everyone and everything connected with God. In every unconverted heart lies enmity to God. In his natural state, man hates God.
In Deuteronomy 7:10, God declares that "He will not be slack to him that hateth him; he will repay him to his face." This is a solemn truth, one that should be deeply pressed on the attention of any it may concern. Men do not like to hear it; many affect and profess not to believe it – vainly attempting to persuade themselves and others that God is too good, too kind, too merciful, and too benevolent to deal in such stern judgment with His creatures. They forget that God's ways in government are as perfect as His ways in grace. They imagine that God's government will pass over or deal lightly with evil and evil doers.
This is a fatal mistake, and men will find it to be so to their heavy and eternal cost. True, in His rich sovereign grace and mercy, God can forgive sins, blot out transgressions, cancel guilt, justify us perfectly, and fill our hearts with the spirit of adoption. But this is altogether something else. This is grace reigning through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. It is God in His wondrous love providing righteousness for the guilty, hell-deserving sinner who knows, feels, and accepts that he has no righteousness of his own, and on his own could never have it. In the marvelous love of His heart, God has provided a means whereby He can be just and the Justifier of every broken-hearted, bankrupt sinner that truly believes in Jesus.
But how was all this done? Was it by passing over sin, as though it were nothing? Was it by relaxing the claims of God's government, lowering the standard of His holiness, or touching the dignity, stringency, and majesty of the Law? No, it was the very reverse. Never was there; never could there be a more terrible expression of God's eternal hatred of sin, or of His unflinching purpose to eternally condemn and punish it. Never was there; never could there be a more glorious vindication of God's government, a more perfect maintenance of the standard of divine holiness, truth, and righteousness. Never was the law more vindicated or established than by that glorious scheme of redemption planned, executed, and revealed by the Eternal Three in One – planned by the Father, executed by the Son, and revealed by the Holy Spirit.
If we are to have a real sense of the awful reality of God's government, His wrath against sin, and the true character of His holiness, we must gaze at the cross; we must hearken to that bitter cry from the heart of the Son of God that broke through the dark shadows of Calvary: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Never had such a question been asked before; never has such a question been asked since; and never will or can such a question be asked again. Whether we consider the One asking it, the One to whom it was asked, or the answer, we must see that the question stands alone in the annals of eternity. The cross is as much the measure of God's hatred of sin, as it is the measure of His love to the sinner. It is the imperishable foundation of the throne of grace, God's righteous ground on which He can pardon all sin, constituting us perfectly righteous in a risen and glorified Christ.
But, how will it end for those who despise this and persist in hating God; persist in talking of Him being too good and kind to punish evildoers? "He that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth upon him" (John 3:36).6 Is it possible; can we believe that because He was bearing our sins in His own body on the tree, a just God would execute judgment on His only-begotten Son, His well-beloved, His eternal delight, and yet allow impenitent sinners to escape? Why did the spotless, holy, perfect Man, Jesus Christ, the only perfect man that ever trod this earth, suffer for sins – the just for the unjust? So that evildoers, unbelievers, and haters of God can be saved, blessed, and taken to heaven? Did God go through it all only to find that Himself too kind and too good to punish sinners in hell forever? Did God pay the price of giving up, forsaking, and bruising His beloved Son in order to save His people from their sins, while ungodly sinners, despisers, and rebels are saved in their sins? Did the Lord Jesus Christ die for nothing? Did Jehovah put Him to grief and hide His face from Him when there was no necessity? Why the awful horrors of Calvary? Why the three hours' darkness? Why that bitter cry, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Why all this, if sinners can get to heaven without it? Why all the inconceivable sorrow and suffering for our blessed Lord, if God is too kind, too gracious, and too tender to send sinners to hell?
What egregious folly; but men will believe most anything, provided it is not the truth of God. The dark human mind will believe the most monstrous absurdity in order to find a way to reject the plain teaching of Holy Scripture. The very thing men would never think of attributing to a good human government they do not hesitate to attribute to the government of the only wise, true, and just God. What would we think of a government that could not or would not punish evildoers? Would we want to live under it? What would we think of the government of America, if because she is so kind, so gracious, so tender hearted, she could not allow criminals to be punished as the law directs? Only criminals would want to live there?
"The Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God which . . . repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them; he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face." If only men would hearken to the Word of God – be warned by its dear, emphatic and solemn statements regarding coming wrath, judgment, and eternal punishment. That, instead of seeking to persuade themselves and others that there is no hell, no deathless worm and unquenchable fire, no eternal torment, they would listen to the warning voice and flee for refuge to the hope set before them in the Gospel – before it is too late. Truly this would be wise. God declares that He will repay those that hate Him. How awful is just the thought of such a repayment. Who can meet it? Because God's government is perfect, it is impossible that it can allow evil to pass unjudged. Nothing can be plainer than this in Scripture. From Genesis to Revelation, God's Word sets forth eternal judgment in terms clear and forcible, rendering it the height of folly to argue against it. How much better, wiser, and safer to flee from the wrath to come than to deny it is coming. It is vain for anyone to reason in opposition to the truth of God. Every Word of God will stand forever. We see the actions of His government in reference to His people Israel, and in reference to Christians now. Did He pass over evil in His people of old? No; on the contrary, He visited them continually with His chastening rod because they were His people, as He said to them by His prophet Amos, "Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying, You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities" (Amos 3:1, 2).
In its application to Christians now, the same principle is set forth in the first Epistle of Peter, "For the time is come that judgement must begin, at the house of God; and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" (4:17, 18).
God chastens His own because they are His own, and so they may not be condemned with the world (1 Cor. 11). The children of this world are allowed to go their way: but their dark and heavy day is coming – a judgment day and unmitigated wrath. Men may question, argue, and reason, but Scripture is distinct and emphatic. "God hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained." The great day of reckoning when God will repay every man to his face is at hand.
It is edifying to note the way Moses, that beloved and honored servant of God, pressed the grand and solemn realities of God's government on the conscience of the congregation. Hear how he pleads and exhorts.
"Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgements, which I command thee this day, to do them. Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgements, and keep, and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers. And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee; he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee. Thou shalt be blessed above all people; there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle. And the Lord will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee. And thou shalt consume all the people which the Lord thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them; neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee" (vv. 11-16).
This is a powerful appeal. Note the two groups of words. Israel was to "hearken," "keep," and "do" – Jehovah was to "love," "bless," and "multiply." Sadly, under both law and government Israel shamefully failed. Hence, instead of the love, blessing, and multiplying, there was judgment, curse, barrenness, dispersion, and desolation.
Let us now return to the closing verses of Deuteronomy 7. It is touching and beautiful to notice the way Moses seeks to encourage the heart of the people in reference to the dreaded nations of Canaan. He enters into, and anticipates their inmost thoughts and feelings.
"If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them. Thou shalt not be afraid of them; but shalt well remember what the Lord thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt; the great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the Lord thy God brought thee out: so shall the Lord thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid. Moreover, the Lord thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed. Thou shalt not be affrighted at them; for the Lord thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible. And the Lord thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee. But the Lord thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed. And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them. The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire, thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein; for it is an abomination to the Lord thy God. Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it; but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing" (vv. 17-26).
The grand remedy for all unbelieving fears is simply to fix the eye on the living God: thus the heart is raised above the difficulties whatever they may be. It is of no use to deny that there are all sorts of difficulties and opposing influences. This will not minister comfort and encouragement to the sinking heart. Some have a certain style of speaking of trials and difficulties that proves they have no practical knowledge of God, but rather a profound ignorance of the stern realities of life. They vainly seek to persuade that we should not feel the trials, sorrows and difficulties of the way. They might as well tell us that we should not have a head on our shoulders or a heart in our bosom. Such persons do not know how to comfort those that are casting down. They are mere visionary theorists, unfit to deal with souls passing through conflict, or grappling with the actual facts of our daily history.
How did Moses seek to encourage the hearts of his brethren? "Be not affrighted," he says; but why? Was it because there were no enemies, difficulties, or dangers? No, but "the Lord thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible." Here is true comfort and encouragement; the enemies were there but God is the sure resource. Thus it was that in his time of trial and pressure, Jehoshaphat sought to encourage himself and his brethren. "O our God, wilt thou not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that cometh against us, neither know we what to do; but our eyes are upon Thee."
Here lies the precious secret. The eyes are on God. His power is brought in, and this settles everything. "If God be for us, who can be against us?" By his ministry, Moses meets the rising fears in the heart of Israel, "These nations are more than I." Yes, but they are not more than the "mighty and terrible God." What nations could stand before Him? He had a solemn controversy with those nations because of their terrible sins. Their iniquity was full; the reckoning time had come, and before His people, the God of Israel was going to drive them out.
Therefore, Israel had no need to fear the enemy's power, because Jehovah would see to that. But there was something to be dreaded far more than the enemy's power – the ensnaring influence of their idolatry. "The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire." The heart might say, "Why are we to destroy the gold and silver adorning these images? Could they not be turned to some good use? It is a pity to destroy something so valuable. Burning the images is alright, but why not spare the gold and silver?"
The human heart is prone to reason in this way. Thus, when called to judge and abandon what is evil, we often deceive ourselves, persuading self to pick and choose and make a few distinctions. We are prepared to give up some of the evil, but not all. We are ready to burn the wood of the idol, but spare the gold and silver.
But it is a fatal delusion. "Thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein; for it is an abomination to the Lord thy God." All must be given up; all must be destroyed. To retain an atom of the accursed thing is to fall into the snare of the devil, linking us with that which, no matter how highly esteemed among men, is an abomination in the sight of God.
Let us briefly ponder the closing verses of the seventh chapter. To bring an abomination into the house is to become like it. A solemn thought that we need to fully understand. The man who brought an abomination into his house became like the abomination – a cursed thing.
We pray the Lord keep our hearts separated from all evil, and true and loyal to Him.
